Sleigh



M. BEAU. I

Y SLEIGH.`

APPLICATION FILED DEC. IE, 1918.

1 ,345,825, Patented July 6, 1920.

UNITED sTATns raTnNT omer..

MATHEW BEAU, OF PORT COLBORNE, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SLEIGI-I.

Application led Becember 16, 1918.

.770 all when), it muy conccwn:

Be it known that l, vtlivrrrnw BEAU, oi Port Colborne, in the county ot' lllelland, in the Province ot' Dntario, Dominion oi" CanA ada, have invented Certain new and useful improvements in Sleighs, of which the Yiollowing is the specication.

My invention relates to improvements iu sleighs and the objectof the invention is to devise a sleigh which is easily steered and turned so as to minimize the resistance ottered by snow, also to devise a sleigh which will Vfloat upon the surface of the water in the iorm of a pontoon and in which the storage capacity is increased and it consists essentially of the following arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure l. is a perspective view of my sleigh, a portion being broken away to eX- hibit the steering mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section intermediately broken away of its length.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

ln the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding` parts in the various figures.

1 indicates the body of a sleigh which is provided at each end with cross pieces 2 and 3. 4: indicates orifices extending through the body 1 and Cross pieces 2 and 5 indicate tubes extending longitudinally of the sleigh body and forming the body of the sleigh runner, the ends of the tubes being provided with elbow-shaped ends 5X and 5O extending into the orilices 41 and suitably secured therein. G indicates flanged caps litting into the orilices il so as to form closures for the open ends of the tubes 5. 7 indicates a runner member extending longitudinally of each of the tubes 5, the runner member turning up at each end so as to follow the curve of' the elbow portions 5X and 50.

8 indicates a metal strip extending along the edge of each runner 7. 9 indicates stay bolts provided at their lower ends with rivet heads 93 secured in the strip 8, such stay bolts 9 extending up through the runner 7 diainetrically through each tube 5 and through the body of the sleigh, the sta-y bolts being locked in position by nuts 9X and 9o bearing against the inner faces of the walls of the tubes 5 and a nut 9 threaded onto the upper end of each stay bolt against the upper tace of the sleigh body 1.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, M320.,

Serial No. 267,088.

10 indicates a steering post which extends y vertically through the sleigl'i body l and member 2, a bearing sleeve 1()X being secured to the upper face of the member 2, such sleeve being provided with a flange 10 through which the securing screws extend. il, indicates a block secured to the lower tace of thc sleigh bofly 'l centrally between the tubular ranuras 5, such block being provided with an orifice 1l in alinement with the orifice 10X ot the sleigh body, the lower face oi' the block l1 being provided with an inverted if-shaped longitudinal recess 11, be edges of such recess being preferably rounded oli". Y l

l2 indicates a steering member which is in the torni ot a broad runner having an i'ipwardly turned ifi-ont end. 12X indicates a block which is Yformed integral Vwith the runner 7.2 and is provided at its upper face with a longitudinally extending if-shaped rldgge 12O normally fitting into the w -shaped recess 11G. The steering post 10 extends down through the orifice 11X as above described and tlirough the bloclr l2X and runner member 12, the lower end oi the post being provided with a head 10 located in a recess 12 formed in the lower edge of the steering runner 12. The head 10 is preferably an oblong head itting into a correr spondingly shaped recess, the longitudinally extending portions of the head being secured to the runner member by screws 122 extending through the head into the runner member thereby turnably connecting th'e runner member 12 with the steering post 10.

13 indicates the turning wheel of the steering post. le indicates a compression spring which [its at its lower end Varound the sleeve 10X extending upwardly around the steering post and secured in position at its upper end by a washer 14X and nut 140 screwed onto the steering post.

It will be readily seen that when it is desired to guide the sleigh around a curve that by turning the hand wheel 13 the runner member 12 is turned so as to carry the V- shaped rib 1.40 toward a position at right angles to the recess l1O thereby carrying the apex of the rib onto the edges of the recess producing a cam action which draws the steering post 10 down, compressing the spring 14 and allowing the steering runner 12 to assume a relatively lower position in reference to the sleigh body than the runner 7 of the sleigh.

It will thus be seen that the runner l2 is carried downward into the loose snow compressing it sufficiently solid to form a support so that by the further lowering of the runner member l2 the front portion of the sleigh is lifted so that the runners are clear of the snow as the steering member is carried into the steering position. lt will thus be seen that the resistance of the snow against the sides of the steering runner will cause the sleigh to turn without any resistance of the sleigh runners at the front end against the soft snow as the sleigh is turned thereby allowing the sleigh to turn very easily. As soon as the turning movement is completed the hand wheel is released and the compression spring 14 which is compressed by the turning of the runner l2 to the steering` position draws the steering post vertically upward carrying the V-shaped rib 12C back into the V-shaped recess 11o and thereby absolutely centering the sleigh runner l2 in its normal position.

ln the event of the sleigh passing over ice should the ice break through, the tubular runners 5 being llcd with air and closed so as to be air tight, will form buoyant mem bers for supporting the sleigh in the water. These tubular runner' members may be used normally as storage chambers or magazines for various materials desired to be carried therein.

From this description it will bel seen that l have devised a very simple form of sleigh which may be easily and readily turned with a minimum amount of resistance in the snow, which will be buoyant in water and will give an increased storage capacity.

It will also be seen that under ordinary circumstances the bottom of the shoe of the steering device is flush with the bottom of the ruimer and it is only when it is desired to turn that the shoe projects beneath the level of the bottom of the runner in ordeil that the sleigh may be readily steered.

Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a sleigh, the combination with the sleigh body, of tubular runner bodies extending longitudinally of the sleigh bodyand having up-turned ends, removable closures for the up-turned ends of the tubular runner bodies, and sleigh runner members extending longitudinally of the runner bodies and following at their ends the curve of the up-turned ends of such bodies.

2. In a sleigh, the combination with the sleigh body having a pair of orifices at each end thereof, offtubular runner bodies eX- tending longitudinally of the sleigh body and having Lip-turned ends extending into such oriiices of the sleigh body, removable closures for such orifices, and runner members extending longitudinally of the tubular sleigh runner bodies.

MATHEW BEAU. Witnesses:

CLAUDIA MOGINNIS, JOHN H. RoLrH. 

